


Chasing the Nightmares

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio), Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Bonding, Female Friendship, Fluff, Friendship, Gallifrey summed up in two sentences, Humor, Leela is tired, Nightmares, One Shot, Romana is tired, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26016424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: Romana's having bad dreams and Leela wants to get away from the capitol, but when the idea of a sleepover is suggested, they both agree. What could go wrong?Set between Insurgency and Imperiatrix.
Relationships: Leela & Romana II
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	Chasing the Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> My first Gallifrey fic! Guys...I'm OBSESSED. And I love the friendship of these two, it's so wonderful and I can't get enough of it! Spirit was definitely one of my favourite chapters 😂 (Is 80% of the reason because of that scene where Romana throws the chair out the window? Yes.) 
> 
> This took me a while to write because I feel like the setting of Gallifrey is very specific and there's a lot of terminology and stuff to get right? So I did my best, and I hope you enjoy!

The words on the datapad swam in front of Romana’s eyes. She blinked, trying to bring everything back into focus. For spans she’d been reading through paperwork that had been neglected amid the recent crises, though whether she was doing it because she was duty-bound or because it provided a distraction from her dreams, she wasn’t sure.

But if it was a distraction, apparently it wasn’t good enough because her head felt like a leaden weight on her shoulders. Romana set down the datapad, took a deep breath, and massaged her temples. If she could shut her eyes, just for a nanospan…

The sound of K-9’s ears whirring made Romana instantly alert. She opened her eyes and huffed. She’d nodded off. _Again._

“Mistress Leela and other K-9 unit approaching.”

“Thank you, K-9. Let them in, would you?” Romana rubbed a hand over her eyes. She’d be glad to see Leela, even if just for a moment, but she didn’t want to let on that anything was wrong.

Because in her mind she still saw Andred, gazing at her in horror as the life drained from his eyes…

A shudder ran down Romana’s spine. _Inhale. Exhale._

“Scans show heightened hearts rate and levels of anxiety. This unit is equipped with—”

“Not now, K-9,” Romana said brusquely. The door to her office whirred open and Leela entered with her K-9.

“Hello, Leela.” Romana smiled at her, finding it a little easier to battle sleep. She truly was glad to see her friend. She was the one person she never had to actively try to impress.

“I know you are busy, Romana,” Leela said, getting straight to the point. Romana wasn’t offended by the lack of greeting; that was Leela’s way when something was on her mind. “I came to tell you that I am going outside the capitol tonight.”

“Outside the capitol?” Sometimes, it was hard to think of Gallifrey as an entire planet when Romana’s life was so wrapped up in this little bubble of a city. “Whatever for?”

“To be away from this place of plotting and lies. The… _holiday_ on Davidia was not nearly long enough.”

“And it didn’t turn out to be much of a holiday.” Romana sighed. She tried not to think of Wynter, but his face came to mind anyway and she cringed.

Leela fixed a probing gaze on Romana, concern clear in her eyes. “I think you could use time away from the capitol as well.”

“That’s the understatement of the millennia,” Romana said with a humourless laugh. “But what I need and what’s required of me are two very different things.”

Leela took a step closer to her desk. “But you are a _person,_ you are not a machine. You need rest.”

“I am Lord President of Gallifrey, and that’s all that matters.” She shook her head, softening as she realised she was getting worked up simply because she knew Leela was right. “I’m sorry, Leela. I can’t leave, not now. Darkel’s watching my every move, looking for any excuse to denounce me to the High Council. And especially with Braxiatel gone, I need to be very, very careful.”

Leela nodded slowly, her expression resigned. “I understand.” She looked a the ceiling with a frown. “I do not know how you stay confined in these buildings for so long; I need to be out underneath the stars.”

K-9 Mark I wagged his tail. “Suggestion, Mistress!”

“What is it, K-9?”

“If I were to be plugged into the projector unit on Mistress Romana’s desk, I could simulate the night sky in this room.”

Leela crossed her arms. “How would that help us? We would still not be outside.”

“We would remain inside, but Mistress Romana could join you. It is a compromise.”

“Don’t worry about me, Leela,” Romana said, though she was grateful for K-9’s attempt to include her. “I’d get away from here too, if I could.” As much as she preferred staying indoors to traipsing around outside, a breath of fresh air was exactly what she needed right now.

“A com…compromise,” Leela mused. “It will not be the same, but I think it will help you, Romana.”

Romana smiled. Maybe it wouldn’t be so awful to spend time with Leela and get her mind off of things; not that she would allow herself to sleep with Leela nearby. She didn’t need to know about the nightmares.

“All right then, but we’re not staying in my office.” Romana stood and grabbed the projector unit that was technically only supposed to be used for official purposes. “We’re going to my suite.”

Several microspans later, couch cushions and pillows were strewn all over the floor of Romana’s front room. Romana felt a sort of strange thrill at the disorder; she was rarely ever afforded the luxury of being so slovenly in her life.

Leela lay on her back, staring up at K-9’s projection canopy of space with a smile as she rested atop one large cushion with her hands folded behind her head. Romana had chosen several small pillows for her own makeshift bed, though she feared that she was rather too comfortable. Just the feeling of lying down was more welcome than she had realised. Her thoughts grew a little fuzzy and she fought to keep her eyes open. She wouldn’t fall asleep. She _couldn’t._

“What about…Pluto?” Leela said.

The projection canopy shifted until it was dominated by a small icy planet suspended among pinpricks of stars. Romana could faintly hear K-9 Mark I’s ears whirring as the scene changed. He had insisted on being the one to do the projection rather than Romana’s own K-9, as he had suggested the idea.

“No, I’ve never been there,” Romana replied, holding back a yawn.

“The people there were not nice. Many of them were not honourable either.”

“Let me guess, the Doctor overthrew an oppressive regime?” She glanced over at Leela and saw her grin.

“How did you know?”

Romana sighed, letting her mind wander back to those days. “That reminds me of the incident with the Nimon.”

The scenery changed again to show the planet Skonnos. “I did feel sorry for all those people who believed in that silly superstition, but really they were imbeciles! They didn’t see an alien invasion when it was staring them right in the face.”

“I have also believed in superstitions that were…silly. I thought the Doctor was the Evil One.” She laughed lightly, but there was a note of melancholy in her voice. Romana knew that Leela missed home, and now that Andred was missing…well, she understood why she’d wanted to be away from the capitol.

“I think I have been an im-becile sometimes,” Leela continued softly. “Perhaps I still am.”

Romana scoffed. “Nonsense. There are imbeciles all over the capitol and you’re not one of them.”

“Is Narvin one of these imbeciles?”

Romana bit her lip to stifle a laugh that she knew would come out too forceful to sound even remotely dignified. “As President, I really can’t say.” She paused. “But yes.”

Leela dissolved into laughter and Romana joined in, giving herself over to giggles without a care. They continued talking and laughing, sharing memories and gazing up at the stars. Little by little, Romana’s worries fell away.

Eventually, they trailed into companionable silence. It was only a few microspans before Romana heard Leela’s breathing even out.

Romana blinked hard and sat up. She wasn’t going to fall asleep. She wouldn’t give herself over to those terrible dreams…

“Mistress Romana,” K-9 said at normal volume, making Romana jump.

“Shhh!” she hissed, gazing over at Leela. She stirred, but didn’t fully wake. The sight of her so deeply asleep strangely touched Romana. Leela was a warrior, always ready to spring up at any sign of danger. The importance of the fact that she felt so safe here as to let down her guard completely wasn’t lost on Romana.

“Mistress Romana,” K-9 repeated in a whisper. “My sensors indicate that you should sleep in order for your mind and body to function properly in the morning.”

“I don’t need sleep,” Romana replied icily.

K-9 was silent for a moment, then replied, “My scans indicate otherwise.”

“Power down, K-9. Leela will need you at full power tomorrow.”

“Affirmative,” he murmured with what sounded like a note of sadness. A moment later, the projection canopy vanished. K-9 bowed his head and his eyeplate went dark.

The room was dim and quiet. Romana knew that if she even _thought_ of lying her head down she’d instantly succumb to sleep…

 _Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake,_ she repeated like a mantra in her head. She could go get the datapad from her office, look over some more things.

Her eyes closed. Her body swayed and she blinked her eyes back open…

…only to fall back onto her pile of pillows and drift into a deep sleep.

* * *

The moment Leela heard a sound of distress from Romana, she was instantly awake. It took her only the blink of an eye to take in her surroundings and realise that all was as it should be.

Except for Romana. Her hair was splayed across the pillows beneath her and her face was contorted in agony. She muttered incoherently, her fingers twitching.

Leela found herself stunned for a moment. She wasn’t sure she had ever seen so much emotion in her friend’s expression.

She reached out and shook Romana’s shoulder. “Romana. Romana!”

Romana gasped. Her eyes opened and she breathed rapidly before meeting Leela’s gaze. “Leela,” she breathed. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake you. I tried not to sleep, but—”

“This has happened before?” So _this_ was why she had been so tired of late.

Romana clearly hesitated. “Well…yes.” She let out a long sigh and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. “I haven’t been able to sleep properly for days.”

“What do you dream of?”

A visible shudder ran through her body and Romana squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment. “Terrible things.”

Leela frowned. They had to be terrible dreams indeed to make Romana act like this. “I wish I could take them from you.”

“Trust me, you _don’t_ want these dreams.”

Leela lay back down on her cushion, but she felt unsatisfied. How could she rest knowing that Romana wouldn’t?

“Sometimes when I am unable to sleep, I have K-9 play sounds of the wild. Insects chirping, leaves rustling, rain—it helps me rest.”

Romana yawned and shook her head. “I don’t think it will work for me.”

“We can try.” Leela crept softly over to K-9, booted him up, and instructed him to play the wilderness sounds. As the gentle background noises started up, Leela instantly felt tired again. She sat back on her cushion. “Rest, Romana.”

“I’ll try.” She closed her eyes. Leela stayed awake, watching, making sure the dreams wouldn’t come back.

They didn’t.

Leela smiled over at K-9 after a while. “Good boy, K-9,” she whispered.

K-9 wagged his tail. Leela pulled up the blanket Romana had given her earlier (it had a soft, silky texture, reminding her of furs) but she noticed that Romana had no blanket.

Leela promptly lifted the blanket off of herself and placed it carefully over Romana. She froze, hoping that Romana wouldn’t wake. Yet she remained fast asleep, breathing out a long sigh.

Leela lay down and closed her eyes. She was a little cold, but she’d slept in worse environments. Besides, it was more than worth it if it gave Romana one night of good rest.

* * *

The next morning, Romana woke up freely for the first time in days. She stretched, realising that the blanket she’d given to Leela the night before was now covering her. She glanced over at Leela, who was curled into a ball on top of her cushion. The background noise was still playing.

Romana would have to ask her K-9 to do that. Never in a million years would she have thought that something so trivial would help her sleep.

She’d need to thank Leela for that later.

For now, she got up and returned the blanket to Leela. “Thank you,” she whispered. Perhaps, rather than the background noises chasing the nightmares away, it had been the presence of a friend.

Feeling more rested than she had in a long time, Romana went off to get them some food. She owed Leela a good breakfast, at the very least.

She took one more look at the scene of chaos in her front room and chuckled quietly to herself.

They really needed to have more sleepovers.


End file.
